Thomas H. Franks, 87

Wednesday

Jan 9, 2013 at 4:30 AM

HENDERSONVILLE — Thomas Hendricks Franks passed away Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, at the age of 87 at Memorial Mission Hospital. He was born in Asheville, the elder son of the late Thomas Hendricks Franks, Sr. and Margaret F. Franks. The family lived in Hendersonville, where Tom attended school, was a Boy Scout, and worked at a series of jobs, including mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, and delivering milk for Kalmia Dairy, where he met his future wife.He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in May, 1943, at the age of 18. Although he was willing to do his part in the war effort, he completed his training at about the same time World War II ended. After his discharge, he enrolled at North Carolina State University and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1949.Tom went to work for the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in Schenectady, New York. He was one of the engineers who converted the world’s railroads from coal-fired steam to diesel-powered locomotives.He and Betty Sue Sinclair were married on July 8, 1950, at her family church, First Baptist Church of East Flat Rock. After honeymooning in Florida, the couple returned to New York, then went on the road together while Tom helped place new locomotives into service throughout the eastern United States. Shortly before the birth of their first child, Tom’s duties at Alco were changed to eliminate travel, and he and Betty found an apartment in Schenectady, where they lived until Tom went to work for General Electric. Their second child, Linda, was also born in Schenectady.Tom went to work for General Electric in June, 1955, at their plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He worked for GE until he retired, transferring to their plants in four different cities. He worked on electrical pole transformers and jet engines, including those for the F4H Phantom jet, the F104 and the C5 military transport, all produced during the Vietnam War. After moving to GE’s Erie, Pennsylvania plant, he worked on locomotive engines for commuter trains. His final position with the company was as Field Quality Engineer for the Cleveland, Ohio plant, requiring frequent travel to inspect jet engine parts and assemblies at subcontractors’ facilities all over the Great Lakes region. He had considerable responsibility and autonomy and enjoyed this phase of his career. He retired in December of 1989.Tom and Betty’s third daughter, Debbie, was born during a blizzard in Pittsfield in 1954. She and the other children caught bronchitis and the family doctor advised them to get the newborn out of Pittsfield’s severe climate if they wanted her to survive. Tom got himself transferred to the GE plant in Hickory, North Carolina, and the family moved there when Debbie was four weeks old.The couple’s fourth child, a boy, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1961.After retirement, Tom pursued an interest in genealogy, which led him to renew acquaintance with dozens of distant relatives throughout the country. He and Betty travelled to family reunions annually so he could fill blanks in his growing database. His genealogy hobby led him to learn to use the personal computer late in life. He derived much enjoyment from it, as it gave him another interest in common with his children.Throughout his life, Tom worked hard, first to pay for his education and later to support his family. He served the communities where he lived, most recently as a trustee for the Avery’s Creek United Methodist Church. He made friends throughout his life and kept in touch with them. His personal records contain countless references to those friends, their families, what they were doing, and in many cases, their passing.His family members were of utmost importance to him. Everything he did was in service to their well-being. He was a devoted son, a steadfast and loving husband, and a good father. For his four children, he embodied honesty and integrity in life and work. He had a deep but quiet faith in God.Tom is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty Sue Sinclair Franks, residing at Ardenwoods in Arden; his brother, Stephen F. Franks, of Hendersonville; daughters, Nancy Franks Furner and husband, Stephan, of Wanette, Oklahoma, Linda Franks Guthrie and husband, Thomas, of Durham, and Deborah Franks Haynes and husband Meredith, of Cincinnati, Ohio; son, James Sinclair Franks, of Springfield, Ohio; grandchildren, Travis M. Furner, of Norman, Oklahoma, Lee C. Guthrie and Sinclair T. Guthrie, of Durham, Elisabeth C. Haynes and David A. Haynes, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Patricia E. Franks, of Nashville, Tennessee. His numerous nieces and nephews live in the Hendersonville area as well as in communities all over the United States.Visitation will be held at 10 a.m., on Saturday, January 12, 2013, at Thomas Shepherd’s Church Street Chapel, 125 South Church Street, Hendersonville. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., also in Thos. Shepherd’s Church Street Chapel with the Rev. Frank Ramos officiating. Internment will follow at Shepherd Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to Averys Creek United Methodist Church, 874 Glenn Bridge Road, Arden NC 28704.A register book is available online for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com.